Program of Studies MS Alternative Program

SCIENCE

Physical Sciences (Chemistry and Physics), Grades 6-8
In this course, students will gain understanding of concepts associated with motion, mass, volume, and energy. They will make accurate measurements using a variety of instruments, experiments become more quantitative, physical models become more precise, and are able to graph one measurement in relation to another. The following five subtopics will be covered :

Properties of Matter Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures Motion of Objects Forms of Energy Heat Energy

Students will gain access to this content while concomitantly honing their reading comprehension, written expression, communication, advocacy, and team building skills. This course is structured with performance tasks designed with the principles of Universal Learning and Multiple Intelligences in mind. Some examples are :

Multisensory lessons Group discussion/brainstorming sessions Cooperative and individual written and/or art assignments Kinesthetic laboratory investigations/demonstrations Meet linguistic awareness activities Computer projects

Earth and Space Sciences, Grades 6-8
In this course, students will recognize the interacting nature of the earth’s four major systems; the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. They will begin to see how the earth’s movement affects living and nonliving components, understanding of the place of the earth in the solar system, and changes in the earth’s composition and topography over time. The following five subtopics will be covered :

Mapping the Earth Earth’s Structure Heat Transfer in the Earth System Earth’s History The Earth in the Solar System

Cont. Earth and Space Sciences, Grades 6-8
Students will gain access to this content while concomitantly honing their reading comprehension, written expression, communication, advocacy, and team building skills. This course is structured with performance tasks designed with the principles of Universal Learning and Multiple Intelligences in mind. Some examples are :

Multisensory lessons Group discussion/brainstorming sessions Cooperative and individual written and/or art assignments Kinesthetic laboratory investigations/demonstrations Meet linguistic awareness activities Computer projects

Life Science/Biology, Grades 6-8
In this course, students will gain an understanding of the characterization of living things by classifying organisms by kingdom, recognizing that cells are the basic structure of life, differentiating between plant and animal cells, and becoming familiar with cell structure and basic cellular functions. Students will also identify and describe systems in multicellular organisms and identify the functions and interactions of the major organ systems of the human body. They will also describe the relationship between traits and genes; hereditary as the passage of traits from parent to offspring; sexual vs. asexual reproduction and identify causes of evolution and diversity. The following subtopics will be covered :

Characteristics of Living Things Structure and Function of Cells Systems in Living Things Heredity Evolution and Biodiversity Living Things and Their Environment

Students will gain access to this content while concomitantly honing their reading comprehension, written expression, communication, advocacy, and team building skills. This course is structured with performance tasks designed with the principles of Universal Learning and Multiple Intelligences in mind. Some examples are :

Multisensory lessons Group discussion/brainstorming sessions Cooperative and individual written and/or art assignments Kinesthetic laboratory investigations/demonstrations Meet linguistic awareness activities Computer projects

Technology/Engineering, Grades 6-8
In this course, students will be able to identify and describe the following: appropriate materials used to accomplish a design task, based on specific properties and characteristics; appropriate tools for specific applications; appropriate and safe use of tools and machines; steps of the engineering design process; methods of representing solutions to a designed problem; purpose of a constructed prototype; components of a universal systems model; components of a communication system; manufacturing systems for customs and mass production; parts of a structure; types of bridges and their performances/uses/effects on structural loads; forces on bridges; transportation systems operating on land, air, water, and space; and adaptive/assistive devices. The following subtopics will be covered :

Materials, Tools, and Machines Engineering Design Communication Manufacturing Construction Transportation Bioengineering